OP THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 417 



Habits. Of all the Arctic Ducks none are more thoroughly Arctic than 

 the present handsome species. It is late to arrive in British waters, and is 

 seldom seen off even our northern coasts before November, later still in the 

 south. It leaves us in April and reaches its Arctic haunts with the opening 

 of the northern waters. Like most of its congeners it is gregarious in winter, 

 but the flocks that frequent our seas are seldom very large ; even in summer it is 

 to a certain extent sociable, and numbers of nests may be found within a small 

 area of suitable ground. Whilst with us it keeps principally to the sea, often 

 wandering long distances from land, only approaching the shore during stormy 

 weather, when it shows a decided preference for creeks and inlets on a wild, 

 rocky coast. It is rarely or never seen on inland fresh water during winter, 

 although in summer its favourite retreats are the northern lakes, often at some 

 considerable distance from the sea. The flight of this Duck is remarkably quick 

 and graceful, the long tail making the bird look very elegant as it careers along 

 with wings beating the air so rapidly as to be almost invisible. It dives with 

 even greater speed, so quickly as often to dodge the shot from a modern 

 breech-loader, and under water it darts about and goes for long distances like 

 a Grebe or an Auk, appearing far out of danger. The note of the Long-tailed 

 Duck cannot easily be confused with that of any other species. It is a loud, 

 clear cry of several syllables, the middle one being the longest and the loudest, 

 rendered by some authorities as cow-cow-w-ie, col-goh'-y, or cal-loo-oo ; whilst in 

 some parts of Scotland the sportsman has made a free translation of it into 

 " coal-an-can'le-licht." The food of this species consists of small mollusks, 

 crustaceans, insects, minute marine animals, and the buds, roots and leaves 

 of various water plants and weeds. Most of this is obtained whilst the bird is 

 diving. 



Nidification. The great breeding grounds of the Long-tailed Duck are 

 on the Arctic tundras of the Old World and the barren grounds which extend 

 from beyond the limit of forest growth to the frozen ocean in the New World. 

 Here its haunts are the pools and lakes, often those studded with islands. Odd 

 pairs are scattered up and down the small pools, whilst the larger sheets of 

 water are the haunts of perhaps a dozen or twenty pairs. The breeding season 

 commences at the end of May or early in June, and fresh eggs may be obtained 

 throughout the latter month and the first half of July. The nest is usually 

 placed in some sheltered nook, often among willow and birch scrub in the 

 drifted rubbish left by the floods when the big northern rivers break up in spring, 

 or among long grass. An island is usually selected when available in the lake or 

 pool. The nest is merely a hollow among the herbage, plentifully lined with 

 down and a few feathers from the breast of the female. The eggs are from 

 seven to twelve in number, eight or nine being an average clutch. They are 

 pale huffish-green or greenish-buff in colour, smooth, and with some gloss, and 

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